This week’s Mon Valley Moment is your personal invitation to attend an exclusive event for District 49 firearm owners.

On Saturday, Oct. 27, our office, in conjunction with California University and the Roscoe Sportsmen’s Association, will be hosting a specialized Hand Gun Safety Seminar.

The classroom instruction will begin promptly on the campus of CALU, beginning at 9 a.m. Lunch will be served at the university, before moving to Roscoe Sportsmen’s Association at 1:30 p.m. for Live Fire at the range.

Specialized topics of instruction will include:

Cardinal Rules of Weapon Safety.

Operation and Capabilities of a Handgun.

Target and Sight Acquisition (How to Shoot).

Engagement of a Threat (When to Shoot).

Emphasis on Hand Gun Owner Responsibilities!

We will conclude this seminar with a late afternoon dinner.

Seating is limited and on a first-come, first-serve basis, so you must PRE-REGISTER for this FREE event by calling our Bentleyville office at (724) 669-2242.

In conjunction with Fire Prevention Week, which lasts through Saturday, Oct. 13, grant funding totaling approximately $36,129 has been awarded to the following volunteer rural fire companies in the 49th Legislative District:

Carroll Township Volunteer Fire Department, $10,000.

Cokeburg Volunteer Fire Company, $10,000.

Marianna Volunteer Fire Company, $6,129.

Stockdale Volunteer Fire Department, $10,000.

Our volunteer fire companies are essential to maintaining public safety; however, they are often challenged with sparse funding for the specialized training and gear they need to perform their jobs. Rural fire departments also have the added difficulty of having to manage possible wildfires in heavily forested areas and being in geographic locations that don’t provide the same level of support as urban fire companies.

This funding is to be used for training and equipment purchases directly related to fighting brush and forest fires, including wildfire-suppression equipment, protective clothing, mobile or portable radios, water supply installations, wildfire prevention and mitigation, wildfire training; and to convert and maintain federal excess vehicles for fire suppression.

The grant program, appropriated through the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and paid through federal grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, has awarded more than $12.5 million since it began in 1982.

Giving Students Flexibility for Graduation Requirements

As a way to ensure students get the most out of their educational experience, the House passed legislation this week that would remove the heavy focus on standardized testing as a requirement to graduate and instead allow students various options to show proficiency in pursuing their own career paths.

Senate Bill 1095 would provide Pennsylvania students with additional options to fulfill high school graduation requirements beyond the Keystone Exams. Students who do not score proficient on the Keystone Exams would be able to demonstrate their readiness to graduate through alternative routes.

Specifically, the bill outlines several commonsense options for assessing student performance while also giving teachers more flexibility with classroom instruction time. Some alternatives include a student’s successful completion of work-based learning programs, a service learning project, or an offer of full-time employment as evidence of post-secondary readiness.

As part of the bill, the Keystone Exam graduation requirement would be put on hold until the 2021-22 school year. The alternate graduation options in Senate Bill 1095 would take effect when that delay expires.

This legislation, which now goes back to the Senate, seeks to enhance a multi-bill package to expand career and technical education to benefit both students and employers looking to fill jobs in high-demand fields.

Charleroi and Ringgold School Districts Awarded $70,000 in Targeted School Safety Grants

This week, approximately $70,000 in Safe Schools Targeted Grants were awarded to the following District 49 school districts:

Charleroi Area School District – $30,000.

Ringgold School District – $40,000.

Recognizing that each school’s needs are different, the grant program assists with paying for programs to prevent and reduce violent incidents in schools, purchase safety and security-related equipment, and provide for the training and compensation of school resource officers (SRO) and school police officers (SPO).

I was pleased to support this worthwhile grant program as part of the final 2018-19 state budget.